Chuck Lyman's Story
When I was 5 years old in Kansas City, I always walked by a neighbor’s house across the street, on my way to kindergarten. I kept seeing that they consistently had two brand new cars parked out front in the drive. These weren’t just any car; they were always a Buick, Oldsmobile or a Pontiac. Huge cars at that time! And, they were always new! When I asked my mother who he was, she said "Oh, he works for General Motors at the B-O-P plant." I thought then, Wow, what a job that would be. That was 1947. I kind of forgot about it as I got older and the neighbor transferred away to California. Then when I was in high school, the opportunity to interview for an unknown school called GMI (General Motors Institute) came about. Something came back to me about all those new cars and I immediately said "Yes!"
I kind of think it helped that when I interviewed I was driving a 1959 Impala convertible at the time. I did almost mess up one time before college started. I found a 1958 used Corvette for sale. It was a 270HP 4-speed; all white with red interior, and it threw your head back when you took off! I went home and asked my father if I could buy it! He said "You have one of two choices, we’ll help you buy the car or we’ll help you go to college. You have to decide." As they say, the rest is history.
I started at BOP-Kansas City in 1960 as a General Motors Institute (GMI) co-op student, graduating in 1965 with a degree in Industrial Engineering. There I was a member of Phi Tau Alpha fraternity (now SAE). My first new car was a 1963 Corvette roadster. I got to drive it the last year at GMI and that was a Blast!
I worked as a Labor Relations Representative and then Supervisor of Labor Relations at the BOP-Fairfax Assembly Plant until 1971 when I transferred to the Framingham Plant as General Supervisor of Labor Relations. From 1973 to 1975, I was a Salaried Personnel Systems Analyst for GMAD Central Office and GM Central Office. In 1976, I became Personnel Director at the Fremont, California Plant. The following year I transferred to Oklahoma City to start a new plant there. I was also Personnel Director for the start up of the Orion Township Plant in Michigan. I transferred to the Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac (BOC) headquarters in 1985 as Manager Compensation for the executive group and in 1992 was HRM Director for Car Platforms, Sales, Service and Marketing at NAO headquarters in Warren. It was during this tenure I had my only Corvette product evaluation vehicle. It was a 1996 Grand Sport! Can you believe it? By this time we had owned several Corvettes and I wanted to go back to the old ones. While there, Bob Krause helped me find a 1962 Corvette in 1995 that I kept and restored. It was all white with a red interior, just like my dream car in 1960!
My last assignment was as Personnel Director for the Manufacturing Center at the GM Technical Center in Warren. Here I got to work with Russ McLean, a fraternity brother and previously the Corvette Program Manager! He arranged for me to take a brand new 1997 C-5 to Bloomington Gold that year. I think there may have been three there at the most. People were pointing at it everywhere we drove. What a hoot!
Then I found a 1982 Collector Edition Corvette with 8,500 actual miles and totally original. Took it to Florida and received an NCRS Top Flight] at the 2002 Regional in Kissimmee. In 2003, we bought a new convertible and took it on the road tour to the Corvette 50th Anniversary celebration in Bowling Green. We left Naples with 50 cars and by the time we crossed the Georgia state line on I-75 we were up to 500 cars from all over the state!
I retired in 1999 to Naples, Florida and recently moved to Raymore, Missouri. My wife Judy and I have been married 42 years and have five children and twelve grandchildren. We’re driving Corvette number 13 now and I’m Vice-Chairman for the Kansas City NCRS Chapter. I’m also traveling to many shows and auctions with Dana Forrester, the world famous Corvette artist! Just can’t get them out of my system.
This fall I will be president of the GM Fairfax Salaried Retirees Club. Life is good!
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